


Step One: Apply for the Job

by kayleeschuyler (stephaniebithell)



Series: How To Fall In Love With Your Boss In 10 Easy Steps [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Gen, Happy Ending, M/M, No Dialogue, implied klance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-18
Updated: 2019-04-18
Packaged: 2020-01-15 21:15:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,318
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18507235
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stephaniebithell/pseuds/kayleeschuyler
Summary: Keith only has one more chance to turn his life around and it all rests on the contents of this letter.  Will his life finally start to happen or will he be forced home with his tail between his legs in failure?





	Step One: Apply for the Job

Keith sighed as he pushed the front door to his apartment open.  He allowed the warm air to seep into his frozen bones as he sent a mental thank you to whoever invented indoor heating.  He stamped his boots on the front mat, trying to shake off as much of the snow as he could, before he sat down on the chair in the foyer that was there specifically for taking off shoes and place them on the shoe rack. 

He couldn’t believe the cold snap that had hit the state this week, it was normally the time of year when the sun was shining, and you could walk down to your local corner mom and pop run shop without the potential sacrifice of your limbs to frostbite.  He was from Texas for Christ sakes! He was not built for this ridiculous weather! He was more at home in the sweltering dry heat of the desert and the risk of dehydration, not of snowballs to the face.

As he moved through the rest of the apartment, Keith threw the small pile of mail he had collected on the kitchen bench and filled the kettle to make a cup of warm tea.  As he waited for the water to boil, he shuffled through the countless letters stating that he had won A FREE TRIP TO EUROPE! or THE CHANCE OF A LIFETIME! and then he came across one that was stamped URGENT.

It wasn’t the red letters stamped across the top of the envelope that made his hands shake, it was the logo emblazoned on the corner.  He had been waiting for this letter to arrive for some time now. The contents of this envelope could literally change his life as he knew it.  It was hard to imagine that at 23 years of age, Keith’s entire future rested upon the words typed on a piece of paper, probably by some secretary who had no idea if they had just signed someone’s death warrant or not.

Well, perhaps death warrant was being a little too dramatic, but it’s what it felt like to Keith.  This one letter would mean the difference between Keith being able to stay in his home or moving out of his little apartment and moving back in with his parents.  His job as a barista wasn’t cutting it anymore when it came to his living expenses. Even dog walking on weekends and cleaning his neighbours apartments wasn’t making a dent. 

But this could.  This opportunity could mean that his life was about to turn around in the right way.  This would mean he could quit his other jobs and start to focus on the career he had started with such enthusiasm in the beginning.  Fresh faced and motivated right out of college, Keith had applied for jobs in his degree’s field for a full twelve months before he had had to admit to himself that it wasn’t going to happen.  He had just wasted four years of his life and thousands of his parent’s dollars for a dead-end career.

Keith took a breath to steady himself and as he brought his hand up to rip into the envelope that would seal his fate-

The kettle started to scream on the stove, indicating that the water was now boiled sufficiently for his tea that he had completely forgotten about.  Willing his heart to slow back down to a more acceptable speed, Keith shook his head and turned off the stove and pour the water into the mug with the waiting tea bag.  Once he had finished preparing his tea, he went back to the bench where the letter still sat, ominously teetering on the edge of the bench as if mocking his position in life.

Without letting himself get psyched out by a lousy piece of paper, Keith tore open the envelope and grabbed at the page inside.

_ Dear Mr Kogane, _

_ The Department of Human Resources receives hundreds of applications each year for the  _ **_Design and Architecture Internship_ ** _ within our company.  With so many talented applicants it is difficult for our panel to decide on only just five (5) to receive a position in the Internship Program.  Altea Blue Industries prides itself on creating, designing and building only the very best the world can offer when it comes to industrial design and the only way to do that is to take only the best applicants and focus their skills to become even better. _

_ We regret to inform you that your application was unsuccessful in obtaining a position within the program.  There were over 235+ applications in this year’s application pool and most met, and in some cases, exceeded our expectations and selection criteria.  But with our limited spaces within the program, only the top five (5) were selected. _

_ We wish you well in your future endeavours and hope that you reapply for next year’s Internship Program. _

_ Yours sincerely, _

_ ASinger _

_ Abagail Singer _

_ On behalf of _

_ Lance McClain _

_ CEO _

_ Altea Blue Industries _

No.  Keith read the letter again, willing the words to change.  This had to be a mistake. He had worked so hard on his portfolio.  He had done everything right, he had even had his friends come over and check everything a dozen times.  This couldn’t be the end. Keith crumpled the letter up in his hands as wet spots started to drip down onto the paper.  He had failed. It was over. He had to give up on his dream of finally being an architect.

Keith allowed himself to cry, to let the tears fall.  He would have to call his parents soon and let them know that he would be packing everything up and moving back in by the end of the month.  God, what would they think? That their son, that they had given everything to, including a family, had failed in the one thing he had set his mind to.  Keith knew the Shirogane’s would never actually hate him, but the unspoken disappointment would be rampant. Especially since Shiro, his older adoptive brother had just been accepted into the Kerberos Program at the Garrison.

Once his tears had dried up, Keith moved to clean up the junk mail and the crumpled-up letter to throw in the bin.  That is when he noticed it. A small piece of paper, barely the size of a cheque, sitting still in the envelope. Curious as to what it could be, Keith pulled it from where it had gotten stuck and turned it over.  Tears started to run again as he read the barely legible writing. He read the words repeatedly. This must be a joke. But it wasn’t. This was happening. Keith raced to his phone, that he had left in his satchel in the foyer when he had walked in the door earlier.  He had to call his parents right now. 

As the slip of paper fluttered back down onto the bench, next to the long forgotten tea now cold, the messy blue penmanship could be seen.

_ Keith, _

_ I wanted to say that I was severely impressed with your application for the Design and Architecture Internship Program.  I know that you may have already read the letter stating that you didn’t get into the program and that is because of me. I feel like you would not be suitable for the program, or should I say, the program would not be suitable for you, as I believe that your skills are already far to advanced.  Instead, I would like to offer you a different type of internship. One that is created solely for you and it would be as my personal intern. I hope that you will accept this opportunity as I look forward to working closely with you in the future. To accept this offer, please call my secretary Abagail at our office to arrange a meeting to discuss the specifics. _

_ Yours, _

_ Lance McClain _

 


End file.
